Kenneth Denman Sells 434 Shares of Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) Stock

Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI) Director Kenneth Denman sold 434 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $470.12, for a total transaction of $204,032.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 7,153 shares in the company, valued at $3,362,768.36. The trade was a 5.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Motorola Solutions Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of MSI traded up $9.42 during trading on Friday, reaching $481.37. 1,461,051 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,206,376. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $408.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $422.73. The stock has a market cap of $79.74 billion, a PE ratio of 37.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.00. Motorola Solutions, Inc. has a twelve month low of $359.36 and a twelve month high of $492.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The communications equipment provider reported $4.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.35 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $3.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.34 billion. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 18.44% and a return on equity of 110.75%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.04 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Motorola Solutions, Inc. will post 13.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Motorola Solutions Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be given a $1.21 dividend. This represents a $4.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 20th. Motorola Solutions’s payout ratio is currently 37.93%.

Institutional Trading of Motorola Solutions

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MSI. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Motorola Solutions in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. United Community Bank raised its position in Motorola Solutions by 81.3% in the 3rd quarter. United Community Bank now owns 58 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Advocates LLC purchased a new stake in Motorola Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Motorola Solutions during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Motorola Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. 84.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Motorola Solutions News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Motorola Solutions this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend announced: Motorola declared a $1.21 quarterly dividend (record March 20; pay April 15), implying a ~1.0% yield. Small recurring cash return and signal of capital-return policy stability.
• Negative Sentiment: Large CEO insider selling — Gregory Q. Brown: recent SEC filings show multiple sizable sales, including 50,000 shares (~$23.4M, Feb. 24) and additional blocks on Feb. 25–26 (see filings). These trades reduced his holdings materially and may weigh on sentiment given the scale. CEO 50,000-share sale filing CEO additional sale filing CEO sales filing
• Negative Sentiment: Other insider sales: CEO Cynthia Yazdi sold 7,000 shares (~$3.3M) and director Kenneth D. Denman sold 434 shares (~$204k) in late-February filings — further insider supply hitting the market. Cynthia Yazdi filing Kenneth Denman filing
• Negative Sentiment: Press coverage flagged the CEO’s sales (summary article). Media attention on large insider disposal can amplify negative investor reaction even if sales are for diversification or liquidity. Insider selling article

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on MSI shares. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $470.00 price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $499.00 price target (up from $443.00) on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Barclays increased their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $495.00 to $506.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Weiss Ratings lowered Motorola Solutions from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Motorola Solutions from $515.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Motorola Solutions currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $497.14.

Motorola Solutions Company Profile

Motorola Solutions, Inc is a provider of mission-critical communications and analytics solutions for public safety and commercial customers. The company designs, manufactures and supports a range of communications equipment and software aimed at enabling first responders, government agencies and enterprises to coordinate and operate reliably in high-pressure environments. Its offerings emphasize secure, resilient connectivity and situational awareness for organizations that require dependable voice, data and video communications.

Product lines include land mobile radio (LMR) systems and handheld and vehicle-mounted radios used by police, fire and emergency medical services; broadband push-to-talk and LTE-based solutions; command-and-control center software for incident management and records; and video security and analytics systems.